Russia Weighed $50 Million Plan to Fly 100,000 Voters to Armenia as June 7 Election Nears
Updated
Updated · OilPrice.com · Jun 2
Russia Weighed $50 Million Plan to Fly 100,000 Voters to Armenia as June 7 Election Nears
1 articles · Updated · OilPrice.com · Jun 2
Reuters reported that Russian officials considered spending about $50 million to bring 100,000 Armenian passport holders from Russia to Armenia to vote in the June 7 parliamentary election.
Four anonymous sources said the effort was part of a broader Kremlin influence campaign run through a Directorate for Strategic Cooperation and Partnership set up in October, alongside disinformation operations.
Armenian election rules bar expats from voting, and Reuters could not confirm whether the transport plan was ever launched or how many people, if any, returned to cast ballots.
Polls still show Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party rising from the low 20s to above 30%, enough to retain a parliamentary majority against a fragmented opposition.
The vote has become a referendum on Armenia's geopolitical direction as Pashinyan pushes closer ties with the U.S. and EU and away from Russia's orbit.
Why is Armenian support for its pro-Western leader growing despite Russia's massive disinformation campaign?
If Pashinyan's party wins Armenia's election, what will Russia's retaliation look like?
Armenia’s 2026 Election Under Siege: Russia’s $50 Million Voter Mobilization Scheme and the Fight for Sovereignty
Overview
Russia is allegedly orchestrating a large-scale operation to influence Armenia’s June 2026 parliamentary elections by allocating $50 million to transport around 100,000 Armenian citizens living in Russia back to Armenia. The goal is to have these voters cast ballots against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, aiming to weaken his chances of staying in power. This plan is part of a broader Russian campaign to stop Armenia from moving closer to Western countries. The operation’s logistics are reportedly managed by a new Russian entity, the Directorate for Strategic Cooperation and Partnership, which oversees both funding and coordination of the voter transport effort.